Tuesday, 12 June 2012

African countries critises Malawi's decision to Cancel AU Summit

African countries has sharply criticized Malawi government for bowing to Western pressure after the cancellation of
African Union (AU) summit in the country over the attendance of Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir. who is wanted by the ICC .

Western countries
are pressuring countries around the world to arrest him if he visited
them.

Bashir was due to attend July's AU summit in Malawi, but the no-nonsense Malawi president Joyce Banda warned that her government will arrest him if he dares to step on Malawi soil.

Banda made such a harsh decision to a fellow African
leader after the West threatened to cancel aid to countries which do not co-operate
with the ICC.

Malawi's economy has been badly shaken by donor aid withdrawal after diplomatic tiff with former president Bingu wa Mutharika

The summit has now been shifted to Ethiopia.

Zimbabwe government said Malawi had made a dangerous mistake in curving in to
Western pressure, adding this had opened a neo-colonial avenue for
powerful countries to increase their interference in African domestic
affairs.

'Much as we are aware that up to 40 percent of Malawi's
budgetary requirements were funded by Western donors, which had been
withdrawn after the diplomatic tiff with wa Mutharika's government, we
ask whether this preference for donors vis-a-vis African principles is a
statement that Africa is donor dependent,' the paper questioned.

Malawi opposition parties has also accused president Joyce Banda taking such a decision without proper consultation.

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spokesman for Finance Joseph Njovuyalema told parliament on Monday that the decision to withdraw the Summit was hurriedly,saying government was suppose to consult all the stakeholders involved in the preparations